Old Incense Trade Routes

A number of archaeological cities can be identified as key stations along the ancient incense route. These cities played pivotal roles in the trade and cultural exchanges that characterized the route, and many still retain substantial archaeological remains and testimonies. This makes them eligible to be considered as supporting components of a potential serial nomination. The main cities include:

The Ancient Caravan Route, known as the Incense Route, is one of Yemen’s most important and oldest tangible cultural heritage assets. It is also one of the longest and oldest ancient trade routes in the world, a transboundary cultural property marked by the presence of tangible archaeological sites such as cities, trade stations, and marketplaces.

The route evolved over centuries from the second millennium BCE to the sixth century CE, established by the people of ancient Yemeni cities due to the significant role of incense, myrrh, and various aromatic resins in the religious and ceremonial practices of South Arabian societies. These goods became highly sought-after in the ancient world, prompting the Sabaeans, Qatabanians, Minaeans, Hadramites, and Awsanians to play a central role in supplying global centers of ancient civilizations with these fragrant materials.

To sustain trade and exports along this route toward the great centers of the Ancient Near East, these South Arabian kingdoms established fortified cities along the path connecting southern Arabia to the north. These began in the lands of the Hadramawt Kingdom in the southeast, where the city of Shabwa (the capital) and the port of Qana are located, and extended through Qataban’s capital Tamna, to the Minaean cities of the Jawf Valley—particularly Qarnāw and Yathill (modern Baraqish)—and on to Najran and the heart of the Arabian Peninsula.

The prosperity of these cities and the affluence of their people were directly tied to the thriving incense trade along this route. With the decline of this commerce, the cities themselves also waned.

The fortified archaeological cities along the route—numbering around 30 within Yemen—are its most prominent features. They vary in layout, architecture, and scale, and include palaces, temples, residential quarters, markets, and inscriptions. These are complemented by other cultural properties such as dams, water canals, tombs, stone structures, petroglyphs, and inscriptions that attest to the region's rich cultural history.

The Incense Route marked the beginning of urban development in ancient Yemen. It not only facilitated trade but also served as a conduit for cultural, religious, and artistic exchange. Through this route, ancient Yemenis transmitted their customs and absorbed others from distant lands, creating a unique cultural blend. The surviving remains of the route and its cities illustrate this vibrant interaction and showcase the dialogue between ancient South Arabian kingdoms and the broader civilizations of the Ancient Near East and the Mediterranean world.

Greek and Roman historians wrote about the significance of this route and the wealth it generated, with authors like Herodotus (450 BCE), Theophrastus, Pliny, and Strabo documenting the prosperity of the Sabaeans who controlled the lucrative incense trade.

The significance of the Ancient Caravan Route (Incense Route) lies not only in its economic role but also in its function as a vital corridor for cultural, religious, and intellectual exchange over many centuries—from the second millennium BCE to the sixth century CE—between ancient Yemen and the civilizations of the Ancient Near East, Greece, and Rome.

The route reflects remarkable engineering achievements in road construction through difficult terrain, with carefully planned paths through valleys and mountains, situated near cities that supplied travelers with food and water. It includes a vast network of connecting roads reaching ports on the Red Sea and Arabian Sea.

The design and construction of cities by the Sabaeans, Qatabanians, Minaeans, Hadramites, and Awsanians along the route—using finely carved stone, with walls and towers reaching up to 12 meters high—stand as testament to advanced architectural and engineering techniques. Within these cities are palaces, temples, and marketplaces that illustrate the technological and artistic capabilities of ancient South Arabian civilizations.

Moreover, these cities are rich in Sabaic inscriptions—dedicatory, architectural, military, legal—that offer a comprehensive archive of the region’s history and its ties to Egypt, the Levant, Mesopotamia, and Northern Arabia. Some inscriptions detail travel along the incense route and intermarriage between Yemeni elites and women from foreign regions.

The decorative arts and motifs found in temples and public buildings reveal the influence of Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Hellenistic, and Roman artistic traditions, highlighting the extent of cultural integration facilitated by the route.

Criterion (ii): The Ancient Caravan Route (Incense Route) displays a wealth of diverse material heritage in Yemen, including fortified cities, temples, palaces, markets, settlements, dams, and tombs. These reflect long-term habitation and movement, as well as cultural and religious exchanges from the second millennium BCE to the sixth century CE. The route served as the primary artery for economic and cultural exchange between South Arabian kingdoms and major ancient civilizations.

Criteria (iii): These cultural assets form a serial property of interconnected sites with shared cultural traits and a common history tied to the rise and decline of incense trade.

Criterion (iv): The route represents a vast, geographically extensive network of ancient trade paths that exemplify outstanding spatial planning. The construction and organization of the cities, dams, temples, and tombs along the route are exemplary of ancient architectural and technological prowess. 

The route and its associated cities represent some of Yemen’s most significant surviving cultural heritage. The Incense Route remained active for over 1,500 years, with cities and structures continually built, expanded, and maintained by successive South Arabian kingdoms. Many of the cities still retain their original layouts, architectural features, and cultural elements.

Numerous components of the route—including walled cities, temples, dams, canals, mountain passes, paved roads, and inscriptions—remain intact and form part of the cultural landscape of eastern Yemen and the wider region. Inclusion on the Tentative List will help ensure the continued preservation of these interconnected cultural assets.